Transformers: "Megatron Origin" and "Maximum Dinobots"

[Cavaliere (moderator emeritus)]

I've recently read two of IDW's Transformers collections thanks to the local library system. The first was "Megatron Origin." It's just what it says on the cover, an origin for the mighty Decepticon leader. More than that, it is the origin of the Decepticon movement. While the basic idea and plot is sound, the execution left a lot to be desired. For example, characters are not well introduced. For the most part, you have to be a Transformers fan already and able to recognize the heads of the various characters in order to know who they are. I specify "heads" because their bodies were often pictured quite differently then what we're used to since this takes place long before the various Autobots and Decepticons were modified to have Earth-machine forms. And, frankly, the story could have used more dialogue and captions to describe what was going on. The story seemed a bit dis-jointed as presented. "Maximum Dinobots," on the other hand, is a great example of how to do a story--any story--correctly. The characters are all introduced properly. It quickly became clear to me that this was part of a greater, ongoing story and yet I wasn't lost at all. The motivations of the characters are all crystal clear (at least when they need to be) and the story moves smoothly and swiftly. The Dinobots (or as they call themselves, the Dynobots) are characterized much better then I have ever seen in comics or cartoons. They're usually presented as very, very stupid even though that wasn't how their Tech Specs* described them. And even though this story has a clear ending, it is (again) part of an ongoing story and I'm looking forward to reading more of this version of Transformers! *Tech Specs (Technical Specifications) used to come with each Transformers toy. They told a little about the character of the Autobot or Decepticon and gave a 1-10 ranking of various things like intelligence, speed, firepower, etc.